On 06 April 2023, the Biden Administration’s White House released a briefing statement on the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The document provides a rationale and the events leading to the decisions and challenges during the evacuation process. In addition, it tries to justify the reason for withdrawal and why the evacuation was chaotic. The American troops were stationed in Afghanistan 20 years ago as a part of the counter-terrorism mission against the 9/11 attackers and to eliminate Osama Bin Laden. The US should have ideally withdrawn from Afghanistan ten years ago after successfully eliminating ISIS’s top leader Osama Bin Laden. However, the objectives of the US drifted into nation-building. They invested billions into the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces (ANSDF) in hopes that they would be able to protect the Afghans and the government from the insurgent factions. Eventually, this led to the US’s chaotic and embarrassing evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. In order to justify their reasons and provide a brief on the decisions and challenges the US faced in the withdrawal, the White House released the document.
Key Takeaways:
First, the reason for withdrawal. The document first explicitly states that the reason for withdrawal was the drifting and confusing objectives of the US. It mentions that the American goal was never to nation-build but only to counter threats to its national security. However, the increasing investments in Afghanistan led to underinvestment in US national security’s present and emerging challenges.
Second, the blame on Trump’s administration for chaos. The document provides numerous incidents and actions of former President Trump which led to the chaotic withdrawal. When Trump invited the Taliban to Camp David for peace talks, he did not consult his allies nor include the Afghan government in the negotiation. This may have provoked the Taliban to be assumed as a significant actor.
Third, the disorderly and appalling evacuation of Afghan friendlies. The document also blames the Trump administration for the ugly evacuation of Afghan civilians who fell from the skies. Trump slowed down and virtually halted the Special Immigrant Visa process for the Afghans, leading to a backlog of over 18,000 SIV applicants. The SIV program required a 14-step process based on a statutory framework enacted by Congress and involved multiple government agencies. The Biden administration had to fasten the visa and security clearance process; over 1000 visas were issued in a week against the standard 100 visas a week. Trump was also blamed for not providing a continued evacuation plan after his tenure during the administration transition.
Fourth, the problem with intelligence and undermining the Taliban. The intelligence stated that the ANDSF will be able to fortify Kabul until the end of 2021. However, the Taliban, with a more potent force and confidence (provided by the US as a consequence of the Doha agreement), were able to take over the capital by 15 August 2021. The intelligence failed to assess the strength of the Taliban and the inefficiency of the ANDSF.
Fifth, continued counter-terror operations. The document reflects shifting grounds for the US’s counter-terrorism activities. It stated that the withdrawal aided in diverting resources to counter terrorist threats in Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen, which is the fundamental objective of the US. It also mentioned that the withdrawal was the right time to provide supplies to Ukraine in its war against Russia.
